This is our family’s FAVORITE Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe that can easily be made gluten-free! The soft buttery dough is rolled out, cut with cookie cutters, baked in the oven, then coated with the best homemade icing. Learn all the tips and tricks for getting the cookies to hold their shape and decorate them perfectly for this Christmas season.
I am absolutely OBSESSED with this cut-out sugar cookies recipe!!!
They are hands down the BEST I have ever tasted.
Not only is the flavor wonderful, but the texture is perfectly soft and tender.
And, with the right ingredients and a few tips they hold their shape beautifully after being baked.
Create gorgeous designs with icing and share the love by gifting them to your friends and family. (Or hog them all to yourself… I won’t tell!)
So if you’re ready to make the most impressive Christmas cookies ever, keep reading and find out all the tips and tricks!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients you need to make this cut-out cookie recipe include:
- Flour. All purpose flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend may be used. You can also substitute for a blend of white rice flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum.
- Sugar. Regular, white sugar is best. Do not replace with a sugar alternative such as coconut or even turbinado sugar.
- Egg. These will give the cookies their lift. Make sure you get large eggs.
- Salted Butter. This is where a large majority of the flavor comes from. You can try substituting with vegan “buttery sticks” or margarine if you are dairy-free.
- Extracts. Both clear vanilla extract and almond extract are used to give this recipe a unique taste.
How to Make this Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
The basic steps for making cut-out cookies are simple to follow. Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
Make the Dough (No Need to Chill!)
Take your butter straight from the refrigerator. Cut it into cubes and load into a large bowl or stand mixer along with the sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar with a stand or handheld mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until the dough resembles coarse crumbs.
Start with cold, cubed butter. Mix until crumbly.
Add in the egg and extracts and continue to mix for 1-2 more minutes.
Little by little pour in the flour allowing it to fully combine after each addition.
Once the flour is completely absorbed and the dough sticks together you are ready to roll.
You can either refrigerate the dough at this stage for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2-3 months until ready to use.
Add in the egg and extracts. Mix in flour until it sticks together.
Roll Out Dough
Sprinkle about ¼-cup of powdered sugar over a cutting board. By skipping flour and using powdered sugar you prevent sticking while adding even more flavor to your cookies!
Place half of the cookie dough onto the surface and sprinkle with another 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Flatten out the cookie dough using a rolling pin until the dough is ¼ – ⅓ inch thick.
Dust with powdered sugar. Roll it out.
Cut into Shapes
Cut dough into shapes with metal cookie cutters. The metal ones make cleaner cuts than the plastic ones and are easier to use.
Bake in Oven
Place the shapes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Parchment paper makes clean-up a breeze, they don’t get stuck on the baking sheet, and the cookies bake more evenly. You can also use a silicone mat, if you’d prefer.
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Cook on the longer side if they are thicker, and for less time if they are thinner.
Let rest on a wire rack until they come to room temperature.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
Mix egg whites on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the butter (for the family icing), vanilla and 1-cup of powdered sugar. Combine until the sugar is fully incorporated.
Add the remaining sugar incrementally and stir well each time. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2-tbsp of milk until the desired consistency is reached.
Finally, drop in your desired food coloring (gels work the best!) and stir until combined.
Decorate to Impress!
Use a piping bag fitted with a 3M piping tip to outline where you would like the family icing to fill. Then use a toothpick to spread it all over evenly.
You can also just spread it on with a butter knife or a spoon if the kiddos are helping you out!
Outline. Spread it out.
Once it has set you can pipe designs with the royal icing.
Place white nonpareils on the wet icing with tweezers.
Shake on sprinkles and enjoy!
Pipe on designs. Add the finishing touches.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: The cookie dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before rolling out.
- To Store: Baked sugar cookies taste best when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Seal in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Cut-out sugar cookies are made by rolling out the dough and cutting it into shapes before baking. Drop sugar cookies are simply made by dropping the dough onto the cookie sheet, and are generally thicker.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on a wooden surface and use a rolling pin to press and roll the dough until it is flattened.
To avoid burnt or undercooked cookies try to roll the dough so that it is ¼ – ⅓-inch thick. You can check the thickness of cookie dough by measuring with a ruler.
Skip the baking powder and baking soda, use cold butter, and bake chilled dough on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Forget the leaveners!! Baking soda and baking powder have a tendency to make cookies spread.
- Keep it cold. Use cold butter and keep the dough chilled until you are ready to bake so the cookies hold their shape.
- Sugar not flour. Dust powdered sugar on your rolling surface to prevent the dough from drying out and add even more flavor.
- Line the sheet. Bake the cookies on parchment paper to maintain shape, avoid sticking, and keep cleanup easy.
- Smooth it out. Toothpicks work great for evenly spreading the icing.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
There’s never a bad time for cookies! And these cookies can all be made gluten-free:
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies that Don’t Spread!
The best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies are created with this recipe that can easily be made gluten-free! Learn all the tips and tricks for how to get the cookies to hold their shape and decorate them perfectly for this Christmas season.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter cold, but not frozen, cubed*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups flour or a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking blend
- ½ tsp. salt
Family Icing Recipe:
- 2 egg whites
- 2 Tbsp. butter melted*
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk if needed
- food coloring
Royal Icing Recipe:
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cold butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 1-2 minutes, or until butter and sugar are just combined.
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Add egg, vanilla and almond extract. Continue mixing for 1-2 more minutes.
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In a separate bowl combine white rice flour tapioca starch, xanthan gum and salt. Toss to combine.
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Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture. Continue mixing on medium until dough starts to form a ball.
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Place dough out on a lightly powdered sugar-coated surface. Roll dough out to ¼ – ⅓ inch thickness.
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Using cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
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Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.
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Let cookies cool completely before frosting.
Family Icing:
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In a medium-sized bowl place, mix egg whites over medium speed for 1 minute. Add butter, vanilla and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix until sugar is incorporated.
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Add remaining sugar incrementally and mix well between each addition. If frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp milk until desired consistency is reached.
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Add food coloring as desired.
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Frost cookies using a toothpick to spread the icing where you want it on the cookies.
Royal Icing: *optional*
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Place egg white in a medium bowl. Mix egg white for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes frothy. Add vanilla and mix for another minute.
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Add powdered sugar and mix over medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes.
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If icing is too thick, add milk as needed to reach an easy piping consistency.
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Place royal icing in a piping bag fitted with a 3M piping tip. Pipe designs on cookies and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- You can also use 1 1/2 cups sweet white rice flour, 3/4 cup tapioca starch, and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum instead of the gluten-free flour blend.
- Food coloring gel works best when getting really vibrant colors in your icing.
- Use tweezers when placing small nonpareils onto the cookies.
- These sprinkles and these white nonpareils were used to decorate the cookies you see pictured.
- You can also use vegan “buttery” sticks or margarine if dairy-free.
- To Store: Baked sugar cookies taste best when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Seal in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Beth says
Do you think I would still get great results if I made the dough ahead of time, refrigerated and then used a few days later? (Trying to prep for a 3 year olds birthday party with a business trip jammed right before it)
London says
Hi Beth! Yes! I think you will still get great results. Just make sure you set the dough out 1-2 hours ahead of time so it comes completely to room temperature and you’re able to roll the dough easily. Also, try shaping the dough into a few round discs before refrigerating them instead of in one big bowl to help with this, too. Thanks for the question!
Susan says
LOVE LOVE LOVE these cookies. They turned out perfect! Can I make the family icing recipe and the royal icing the day before I need it and just keep it refrigerated?
London says
Hi Susan!! I am SO happy you love the cookies so much. Yes! You can absolutely make the icing the day before and keep it refrigerated. Just pull it out about 15-30 minutes before you’re ready to use it so it comes to the right temperature. Thanks for your comment and rating!!
Kate Mac says
I’ve been GF baking for 10 years…and these are thee best cut-out cookie. Easier, tastier, and more texturally accurate than Land O Lakes, GF on a Shoestring, gfJules, Betty, King Arthur, and my own experiments. I usually scale my ingredients but this cup ratio works (I used the rice and tap as written above). I also used psyllium powder instead of xanthan gum (I do this for every recipe, not just this one.). Finally, I omitted the almond extract and tripled the vanilla. Made two batches, pressing out in powdered sugar is key for that perfect sweetness (We didn’t even feel like we had to ice them.). They don’t run. They just sit there, still, like the little shapes they’re meant to be. My son said, “Oh my gosh, mom, we have to make these for Christmas.” Done. Evolving Table for the win.
Betty says
Do you really mean 1/2 inch thick? That seems really thick. I would like to make them crispier. Has anyone made them thinner so they are crispier?
London says
Great question, Betty! I made them again recently and measured with a ruler… They should be cut a little closer to 1/4-1/3 inch thick. I will update the recipe to reflect this for you. Thanks so much for your question!
Natalia says
Hi London,
I’m so excited to try your recipe. Do you have any thoughts about subbing sweet white rice flour for regular white rice flour? I’m trying to prevent the possible grittiness some of the other comments mention.
Thanks!
London says
Hi Natalia!! I think that would work out just fine! The “grittiness” is all dependent on the fineness of the flours. The brand I use, and never get gritty cookies with, is Bob’s Red Mill. I use their tapioca starch and white rice flour with excellent results!!
Kim says
I subbed arrowroot for tapioca starch. These cookies are incredible!! After multiple GF cookie fails, I was astonished when these worked out, and were SO good! I made them with my toddler and she was so proud of herself. You made our day!
London says
Hi Kim! Arrowroot subs great for the tapioca starch! So so happy you and your little enjoyed them. 🙂 Thanks for the comment and rating!!
Denise says
Thank you so much for this recipe! These are as close to the sugar cookies from when I could eat gluten as I can imagine any recipe coming! Couldn’t believe how well they rolled out – at first I thought the dough was a little too dry to work out, but It came together nicely as it was rolled. Great tip using powdered sugar instead of flour too! Can’t wait to try this again at Christmas!
London says
Yay, Denise!! I am SO happy to hear you loved the sugar cookies. Can’t wait to see what you make at Christmas! Thanks for the comment and rating!
Rebecca Robert says
So great….I made peach cut outs for a Georgia Peach Party…so cute!
London says
Those sound absolutely adorable, Rebecca!! So happy you enjoyed them. Thanks for the review and rating!
Me says
The cookies were delicious! But they did spread -so much so that I had to carefully cut them apart to retain some shape. There were some casualties.
I left them in the oven quite a while to try to get a little browning. So they were crisp, but got rave reviews!
This was my very first venture into gluten-free baking. So I’m thrilled. Next time I’ll just leave more space between the cookies :o)
London says
Hi! Making sure your ingredients are at the appropriate temperature can help with spreading. If you are unsure, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before baking next time! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Elizabeth says
These were very very good but I found them to be much too gritty. I divided your recipe in 3 parts because I had some trial ideas. I followed your recipe and baked as directed (tho’ thinner and shorter baking time) but they were gritty as was the unbaked dough (a personal fondness). On the 2nd batch, I let them sit for a while so the starch could be absorbed some by the liquids. Still, too gritty. So on the last batch I added 1 oz of cream cheese. That worked much better. In my GF baking trials, which I have been doing for the last 3 years as my daughter-in-law is GF, I have found that American’s Test Kitchen GF free baking book is nearly a bible. They talk about the whys and wherefores of what does and does not work so I have been learning how to adapt my lifetime favorite recipes. Starch needs to be absorbed by liquids and it takes a little time. I will try your recipe again adding 3 oz of cream cheese, and see what happens. I think I may also try ATK’s flour blend recipe rather than straight white rice flour. That may also contribute to the grittiness. But they are delicious. Everyone loved them – GF and non-GF alike!
London says
I love your adaptation of the recipe, Elizabeth! I would love to hear how adding 3 tablespoons of cream cheese turns out. So happy that everyone enjoyed them! Hope you have had a Merry Christmas 🙂